Family Trip to Tohoku

I took a trip to Tohoku area with my family for three days from the 2nd to the 4th. We visited Aomori, Akita, Iwate and Miyagi prefecture with a rental car.

On the first day, we visited nebuta-no-sato in Aomori, where very big paper dolls used in the Nebuta festival are displayed. The pictures give you an idea of just how big the paper dolls are.

Then we drove along the Oirase mountain stream, which runs from Lake Towada. It was cold when we were walking along the stream, but the view was so beautiful.

There’s a big waterfall:

And we arrived at Lake Towada:

On the beach of Lake Towada, there is a statue named Otome-no-zou. Otome is a maiden in Japanese. This was made by Koutaro Takamura, a famous Japanese poet and sculptor who lived in the 19th century. The statue looks the same when wiewed from its front or its back:

On the next day, we visited at Goshogake Nature Trail in Akita. As we walked along the path, we observed volcanic phenomena, such as vapor steaming out of holes in the ground, boiling water and mud, and mud volcanoes. Goshogake is famous for its spa.

We walked along the path:

The water was boiling with a big noise, and it stank of sulphur.

This is Oyu-numa:

The guide to Oyu-numa says:

It was here that Yu-numa pond was originally formed. However, the deposits from the natural steam have made it shallow and intermittent steam pressure has created volcanic swells, called the Yu-numa type of mud volcano. The Odoro-kazan volcano, formed in 1917-18, has grown to become the largest volcano of this type in Japan. The depth of the mud is about 8m and its temperature is about 94,5°C.

This is Odoro-kazan:

The guide says:

Oyu-numa Pond, is a collection of many ponds, such as Konya-jigoku Hell. Natural steam created the composition of the sand, and has formed mud volcanos and small mud craters. At present there is no activity in the eastern sector, although many mud volcanos and mud craters can be seen under the water, indicating past activity. The west side, however, is very active, The water temperature is over 83°C, and the pond is extending rapidly to the west.

Then, we visited Koiwai Farm in Iwate. This farm has been making dairy products since the Meiji period. Here, we watched a show of sheep dogs and sheep.

The following is a fake sheep ;-)

On the final day, we visited a memorial museum of Kenji Miyazawa. I read some of his books when I was in elementary school. He is also famous for his poems.

Then we visited Chusonji Temple. It is famous for its golden pavillion, which may not be photographed. Most Japanese students learn about the temple in history classes.

At last, we visited one of the most beautiful sceneries in Japan, Matsushima.

We went on a cruise on a pleasure boat. Many seagulls were flying alongside the boat, waiting to be fed.

I also fed the seagulls:

I hope you like the photos.